Sorry for all the new topics but the board's slow, so thought I'd have a go.

This can be the (probably doomed) repository for all the things you don't particularly understand about Ginger and The Wildhearts, despite your own extensive knowledge.

Perhaps others can illuminate us (or at least theorise) on all the bits we don't know or understand. May as well call it the 'Ean, help us!' thread then I guess.

Some of my mysteries:

What in the fuck is Lovebank all 'about'? (Song style, lyrics, video, everything, pretty much).

Similarly, what's 'Crying Over Nothing' all about?

To what extent should we take the apparently apocalyptically misogynistic lyrical content of 'The Sweetest Song' seriously, seeing as it's written by a man who (we otherwise know) clearly respects and adores women? How might we defend it to a disgusted feminist detractor?

Why does no-one ever talk about 'Do The Fake' or 'Kill Me To Death'?

Are there really 'Too Many Hippies in The Garden Of Love' or not? Is the Garden here or in heaven or what? Are the hippies good or bad or misguided or something else?

Does Ginger really think 'The New Flesh' is 'shit'? If so, why was it a single?

Ok, I understand we could probably ask Ginger all these questions but where's the fun and purpose in art when you can ask the creators what they meant by one thing or t'other ALL the time? And their current interpretation's not always necessarily accurate to what they thought or felt at the time anyway.

I wanna know what YOU know or don't know, or think you know or think you don't know.

Ok, for sake of argument, here's one that Ginger can't necessarily answer: why did the mainstream (non-rock-exclusive) British press get a much bigger critical hard-on for PHUQ over any other WH album? And is that why it charted higher than any other?

Will there come an age of music journalism decades hence whereby the WH/G are re-discovered by general music journalism as a long-lost classic cult rock treasure ahead of or tangential to their times? Will they be featured in future retro-rock Mojo/Uncut/Q-type magazines as overlooked heroes? Whaddaya think?

And if you're a knee-crawlin' Scottish drunk like me and travel to far-flung WH/G shows and enjoy yourself so much you can't really remember anything that happened (although mostly without actually annoying people and whilst mostly being nice and buying drinks for random strangers and everything) are you taking the WH 'message'/rock'n'roll too seriously or not seriously enough?

WiredOut wrote:To what extent should we take the apparently apocalyptically misogynistic lyrical content of 'The Sweetest Song' seriously, seeing as it's written by a man who (we otherwise know) clearly respects and adores women? How might we defend it to a disgusted feminist detractor?

I think if you direct hatred at one woman it doesn't mean you are a misogynist. That's what I take from this song, Ginger lashing out lyrically at a particular woman. I might be wrong but that's my take on it. I think the lyrics come from anger at someone like the things you say in an argument, they aren't really meant.

WiredOut wrote:Ok, for sake of argument, here's one that Ginger can't necessarily answer: why did the mainstream (non-rock-exclusive) British press get a much bigger critical hard-on for PHUQ over any other WH album? And is that why it charted higher than any other?

Thoughts?

I'm tryin' here!

I think cos they had major label support, advertising etc. "I Wanna Go.." was released before the album came out so that definitely played a part as it is a real crossover song and made the other magazines sit up and notice. I also think some magazines spot a band that seems to be on the up and jump on the bandwagon. Also, that album had a darker, more mature feel to it than Earth Vs which may have appealed to them more.

It charted higher simply becuase that was the band possibly at their peak of their popularity and because of the success of "I Wanna Go..." bringing in some casual fans. Wildhearts were all over Kerrang! and Raw at this time, TOTP appearances etc.

Looking at subsequent albums, Endless Nameless was never going to have the same appeal obviously. By the time "...Must be Destroyed" came out the band had probably lost some fans along the way (splitting up /reforming) and some might argue it wasn't a killer album like previous efforts. Since then they just aren't on the radar enough for people to take notice it would seem. I thought things might turn around with Chutzpah! because of the attention it got but it all seems to fizzle out unfortunately. The fanbase isn't as big and the record label doesn't have the money to promote them as much as they deserve.

Or you make some kind of robot to get us help, or a homing device, or build a new battery..

I also think the fact that there was well known music shows on at the same time,same place every week helped the band in the 90s.(as mentioned TotP)

You also had Raw Power/The Power Hour/Headbangers Ball as well.This would give other rock fans access to other rock bands.God knows how many bands i started liking due to TPH/RP.Might have been on at the arse end of the morning but you always taped it and watched at your leisure.

Nowadays as far as i know there is nothing on normal tv or Freeview that you can tune into on a regular basis to get your fix of rock n roll.Dunno about Sky as i wouldn't give the bastards my cash for ruining football and stealing Lost and 24 from terrestrial tv.

Aye you've got the internet,kerrang radio etc but you tend not to discover much unless you're looking for it that way.Message Boards are a great way of finding out about bands now as i couldn't tell you the last time i listened to music on the radio.However it doesn't really escalate a band the way it used to unless you're Lily Allen or someone.

I kinda know the answer to this. Kerrang! (or Raw) used to have a set of questions that they would ask a different band each week and one of them was -What song of yours would you donate to an album called 'Crap songs of our time'? In one interview or in answer to that question itself Ginger said they wrote that song specifically for that question eg they intended it to be crap, but he then went on to say it ended up sounding good and they released it as a single.

Or you make some kind of robot to get us help, or a homing device, or build a new battery..

WiredOut wrote:Ok, for sake of argument, here's one that Ginger can't necessarily answer: why did the mainstream (non-rock-exclusive) British press get a much bigger critical hard-on for PHUQ over any other WH album? And is that why it charted higher than any other?

Because the record label the Wildhearts were on at the time actually spent some money on promotion so people actually knew the album was out there?

WiredOut wrote:To what extent should we take the apparently apocalyptically misogynistic lyrical content of 'The Sweetest Song' seriously, seeing as it's written by a man who (we otherwise know) clearly respects and adores women? How might we defend it to a disgusted feminist detractor?

How do you feel about that song? I must admit when I first read the lyrics I was taken aback a bit especially by the likes of - "And the boys will dance for a chance to lance your cancerous cunt"Bit harsh

WiredOut wrote:Why does no-one ever talk about 'Do The Fake' or 'Kill Me To Death'?

Probably cos they were b-sides on singles from one of their least popular albums. I never thought they were great either unlike virtually every b-side up until that album.

One mystery to me is the transformation from the band we hear on the Snake demos to Mondo/Earth Vs... Wildhearts. How did that happen?

Or you make some kind of robot to get us help, or a homing device, or build a new battery..